Balloons have been, and continue to be a widespread and popular novelty item. They are often presented as gifts, used in displays and as decorations. Balloons are given away as promotional items and are sold, for example, at zoos, parks and the like.
People of all ages enjoy balloons and are entertained by novelty balloons, such as those that are filled with a buoyant gas, such as helium, to produce a "floating" effect of the balloon. Vendors can often be seen holding a handful of colorful helium filled balloons tied to ribbons, attracting large numbers of potential purchasers.
Like many novelty items, balloons have undergone substantial development, in part, in an effort to increase their attractiveness to buyers. Although latex was, and is still a commonly used balloon material, film-like polymeric materials such as Mylar.RTM. have become quite popular for use in manufacturing balloons. Such film-like materials have a number of advantages over common latex balloons.
First, these film-like materials can be produced in a variety of colors including metallic colors, and can also be produced in transparent form. As such, these balloons can be created having multi-colored bodies and ornate designs. Moreover, when transparent materials are used, the inside portion of the balloon can be used to provide yet another dimension to the creativeness of such balloon designs.
In addition, because these film-like materials do not yield or stretch as do the latex materials, the film-like balloons can be formed in a variety of shapes which maintain their general configuration when inflated.
Nevertheless, as popular as balloons have become, they are limited in that they can only be seen when lighted by an external source. Various devices are known for illuminating balloons. However, these devices suffer from a number of drawbacks.
First, these devices generally use an incandescent lighting device which tends to generate a considerable amount of heat. This can be detrimental to the balloon, and create a burn risk for a user. In addition, such incandescent lighting also requires a considerable amount of electrical power. Typically, when power for the lighting is provided by batteries, the batteries are contained in a separate battery compartment which is connected to the light by wires. Such wires have a tendency to tangle and be easily torn or severed, rendering the balloon lighting device inoperable.
Moreover, such battery powered lighting devices can require frequent battery replacement. As most consumers will recognize, after the lighting device exhausts one or two sets of batteries, and the novelty of the balloon diminishes, battery replacements will come less and less frequently, as will use of the balloon.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an illuminated balloon that is self contained, generates little heat, and provides extended time periods between required battery replacements. Such an illuminated balloon will further be fully self contained, and will not require a separate battery compartment connected to the balloon by wires that can become tangled.